We're often asked what exactly constitutes a Late Bottled Vintage Port. Well, that's actually quite simple. The grapes for this port come from a single harvest year. However, unlike a Vintage Port, a Late Bottled Vintage is a blend of different Ports from that year. These are aged for between four and six years in oak barrels, after which they are bottled. The bottle always indicates the vintage year and the year of bottling. However, before bottling can take place, a lot of work needs to be done in the vineyards. This red port is made from five different grape varieties: Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinita Barocca, and Tinta Cão. These grapes grow on old vines, ensuring excellent quality. The vineyards are selected by Dow's Port's winemaker, and a great deal of care is taken! The best bunches are picked by hand when they are optimally ripe, and each one is transported in small crates to prevent damage.
The five different grape varieties for this Dow's Late Bottled Vintage all grow on beautiful vines. The average age of each plant is around 25 years. Extensive pruning is required in the vineyards to provide all the grapes with the right amount of sun and warmth, while also ensuring sufficient cooling from shade and wind. Therefore, the way the vines are planted is crucial. Once the various varieties have reached the correct and perfect ripeness, the harvest begins. Each grape variety is brought separately to the winery and then pressed—a unique and authentic way to extract the juice.
Yes, that pressing—that's still something special about Dow's. This pressing works best when the grapes are crushed very evenly. A very good, yet intensive, method was invented for this long ago. Dow's is one of the few that still uses this method and also wants to keep it instant. However, this requires a lot of manpower, as the grapes are all crushed with (naturally clean) bare feet. All the men and/or women stand in a large container and hold each other by the shoulders. At a leisurely pace, all the grapes are gently crushed, with the finest juice flowing straight into the tanks. Because there are fewer and fewer men and women practicing this craft, Dow's has developed a machine that can gradually take over this method in the future. But as long as it's not necessary, they will use it as little as possible. After this intense effort in pressing and blending, the Dow's Late Bottled Vintage is finally ready to be tasted. The color is a beautiful ruby red with a lovely brown rim. The nose reveals elegant aromas of ripe fruit and spices. Not just any port, then. The flavor is full and complex with a mild, pleasantly sweet finish. This delicious port is perfect for serving with dark chocolate or aged hard cheeses.
